I Need Your Help! I have a Fabric Dilemma.
I am in a bind. I cannot decide which fabric combination to use for the current design challenge. I took a design that I did not have a chance to make while I was at school and have revised it. Originally the coat was bright green and blue as you can see in the original design brief. Even though I loved the design when I made it I felt it needed a few changes. Before I created my toile/muslin, I revised the pattern to ensure the new design would be something that I am excited to make now. My only stumbling block is I cannot for the life of me decide which fabric combinations to use in the final garment.
So Many Choices
I went on Facebook LIVE to ask viewers for help, and now I am asking for your opinions too. Throughout this post are 22 different examples of colourways for the final coat. As well as these 22 options there are even a couple of blank ones in case you would like to suggest a different combination (using the fabrics shown). Photos of the 22 fabric combinations can be found throughout this post. I would love to know which one you would suggest for the final coat.
Factors to Narrow Down the Choices
Some of these combinations I like more than others. I will tell you my favourites at the bottom of this post. Three of the qualities I am looking for in fabric selection for this coat are:
Good handle – with the style of this design, a fabric that is too rigid will not fall correctly on the body and would bunch up at the underarm area. I have only featured fabrics that would well for this design.
Suit my colouring – One of the perks of being the author of this blog is that I get to make lots of clothes that suit my body shape, style, and colouring. I think this might exclude a few of the 22 choices.
Stand out – Great photos can make a blog post. I want the photos of the coat to jump off the screen. That is why I haven’t suggested any black on black combinations. A good photo is also great for social media and to go on the pattern envelope when I sell the pattern later this year.
Another consideration is if I am going to make my own clothes, I do not want them to look like something you see all over town. I am a bit of an introvert and have shied away from standing out too much in the past. I am a lot braver now; hosting a LIVE internet show will do that to you. I am a person who thrives on creativity, and I want my outside (clothing) to match my insides. Yup, that reads as sappy as it sounds, but it doesn’t make it any less true.
My Favourites
So far my favourites are 2, 3, 4, 12, 14, 22.
I hope to work on the coat this weekend, so I appreciate any feedback I can get. If it is after the weekend I would still love to hear which fabric you would have chosen. Thanks!
This is difficult. Looking at your muslin I think color for the coat and grey or black for the dots will give that illusion of a smaller waist. I’m leaning toward 2 or 22. Also I like the rounding of the dots on your muslin instead of the sketch because it might point a bit toward the girls. 😳😂 I love the yellow and the blue but since you’ve made coats in those colors 2 might be nice. Sorry this is so long because any of these choices will look great.
Wow, Connie, that was a fantastic comment. I didn’t think about the slimming possibilities of the dots if the fabric is darker. With that brilliant logic, 2 and 22 are looking even better to me. If I was going to use yellow and blue fabric I am assuming 18 would be your choice. The main reason I did not pick 18 is that I was worried I would look like a zombie if I wore the yellow. It would photography nicely, though. Love the “girls” observation too. I like the revised design for many reasons and that is one of them.
Thanks again for your enlightening input Connie!
Such a hard decision since the design is so versatile (good job on that)! I agree with Connie on the darker circles and coloured coat. I kind of lean towards 15, 16, 18, 19 and 22. Hard to really narrow it down any more, so I am not much help, haha!
So many choices, I had a hard time choosing my favourite combination. Thanks for commenting, Emily, it is great to hear what other creative people like yourself think about the colour combinations.